The Battle Over Exarcheia Square in Athens

In recent years, gentrification has significantly altered the historic Athenian district of Exarcheia, known for its anti-authoritarian and anti-fascist culture. Unicorn Riot previously examined some of the facets of gentrification and the impacts it’s having on the district, specifically Exarcheia Square and Strefi Hill.
In the finale of our Gentrification in Greece series, we bring you to the streets of Athens to visually witness the closure of Exarcheia Square and hear from a professor of architecture and others involved in anti-gentrification efforts.This special also features a timeline mapping key moments in the two struggles from May 2022 to January 2024: unicornriot.ninja/2024/alteri...
Athens has been enduring international real estate developers from Israel, China, and beyond, buying up locations throughout the city while an alt-right neoliberal government has taken over. This wave of gentrification has impacted Exarcheia dramatically and has featured an occupation of the district by police who harass and intimidate residents. Many locals have voiced opposition to development plans that are pricing them out while Airbnbs and foreign investors see profits from increasingly expensive housing.
In turn, activist groups and grassroots campaigns from a wide spectrum joined forces against displacement, privatization, loss of public spaces and militarized control of the city.
Speaking from inside Exarcheia Square before it was closed, Tasis Papaioannou, professor of architecture at National University of Athens, said the Square is “the breathing space of the city.” A green triangle with dozens of old trees, amid a city of concrete built atop ancient civilizations, its statues and benches were surrounded by shops with tables.
The Square was a central point where residents, collectives, and young people would meet, “claiming their right to the city, the right to have an opinion about the area in which they live,” said Papaioannou.
Locals, including Papaioannou, contend that the ideological reality of Exarcheia Square is the basis of the government’s decision to construct a new underground metro station in this location. Despite proposals for alternative locations, the government insisted on choosing the Square.
“Although there were alternative proposals to locate the station in an area near the Archaeological Museum and the Polytechnic, the state, the government, for reasons that I think are ideological, chose and insisted that the station be located in this spot. I think the basic intention is not a station, it is not a technical project, it is a political choice of what we call gentrification, to ultimately change the character of the area.” Tasis Papaioannou
Gentrification has taken root in Exarcheia “gradually, step by step” over many years and “aimed at big investors,” Papaioannou said. “Investors, whether Greek or foreign, are buying property in these areas, not just Exarcheia, knowing in advance that these areas are going to be ‘upgraded,’ gentrified,” Papaioannou added.
The metro station at the Square is part of the Athens Metro Line 4. Construction started in 2021 and is planned to finish in 2029. Current construction on the site has been on hold since November 2023 for further assessments. Learn more in the film.
See our two series on gentrification - Gentrification in Greece and Tale of the City focusing on London: unicornriot.ninja/land-housin...
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Thank you @iCup24TV - we've added the transcript!

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